In 2015, nutritionist Veronika Larisova was preparing to trek the Kokoda Trail – a 96km single file track through the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea.
Hiking the trail normally takes between four to twelve days and, needing to take her own food, Veronika needed something highly nutritious that would last without refrigeration.
So, she starting looking for packaged snacks that fit the bill and her first stop was protein bars, but most of those are full of artificial ingredients and she didn’t want to be eating sweet bars for weeks.
She also considered jerky and biltong, but the issue there was most are made with nasty preservatives and, in some cases, far too much sugar.
It dawned on Veronika that there really aren’t any healthy, savoury snacks on the market and after returning from Kokoda she was determined to create one!
That’s how Chief Nutrition was born. Veronika convinced her co-founders Libby, Justin and Brock there was a new, untapped market and within a few months (with the help of a food scientist) they’d created their first product – a beef bar.
Veronika says “they’re like jerky, just in a bar and without all the usual nasty stuff that goes into dried meat”.
And now, the team at Chief have added Organic Grass-fed Biltong to their range, available in 4 delicious flavours – Traditional, Chilli, Smokey BBQ and Chipotle & Lime. It’s a visually stunning range with bright colours that pop on shelf.
“We make all our products for ‘pack flippers’ – the person that looks at the back of the pack to check the ingredients and nutrition information because they care about what they put in their body,” says Veronika.
Chief source their beef from certified Organic and Regenerative family farms around Australia because, Veronika says “we believe it’s the most important thing we can do for the planet our kids will inherit.”
Regenerative Farming focuses on a holistic view of land management in order to restore soil and ecosystem health and leave our land, waters, and climate in better shape than we found it. It has been shown to:
- Help sequester carbon in the soil
- Improve soil health which retains more water, making land more resistant to drought, flood and fire
- Improve biodiversity, including replanting of trees
- Be better for farmers because it improves yields and cuts input costs
- Produce healthier food than highly industrialised farming
Chief Nutrition also support Thankful For Farmers, who partners with brands to raise money to support sustainable farming and regional communities across Australia. Over 90% of all money generated by Thankful For Farmers goes to fund programs and initiatives to support local farming, regional and rural communities.
About Chief Nutrition
Chief Nutrition targets the convergence of the 3 fastest growing sectors of food:
- Healthy
- Sustainable
- On the go convenience
Chief is now a major player in Australia’s healthy snacking scene and is found in thousands of stores around the country. They’re also a big business online and retailers can capitalise on the strong brand recognition for Chief products Australia wide, particularly in a convenience environment.
About Chief Biltong
Chief Biltong retails at $6.95 per bag with a wholesale price of $4.35 (37% margin; 60% mark-up). No GST applies.
Find out more at wearechief.com